Central Casting

Central Casting is the most iconic and enduring background casting company in the entertainment industry, established in 1925 by the Association of Motion Picture Producers as a centralized response to the chaotic and often exploitative practices that plagued the extras casting process in early Hollywood. For nearly a century, the company has served as the primary gateway for background actors to work on major studio productions in Los Angeles, and its name has become so synonymous with Hollywood casting that the phrase "straight out of central casting" entered the English language as a colloquialism for someone who perfectly fits a role. Over the decades, Central Casting has adapted from an in-person phone-call-based operation to a modern digital platform while maintaining its position as the single most important background casting entity in the industry. The company expanded beyond Los Angeles to establish offices in New York, Georgia, and Louisiana, reflecting the geographic diversification of the American film and television production landscape. Its longevity and scale are unmatched — Central Casting processes thousands of background bookings every week across its multiple offices.

Today, Central Casting operates as a division of Entertainment Partners, the payroll and production services company, which gives it deep integration into the production workflow of virtually every major studio and production company. The company serves as the exclusive or primary background casting provider for most productions shooting at studios in the Los Angeles area, including those at Warner Bros., Universal, Paramount, Disney, Sony, and Netflix's growing production operations. What distinguishes Central Casting from smaller boutique background casting companies is its sheer scale and its comprehensive database of tens of thousands of registered background actors categorized by detailed physical descriptions, skills, wardrobe availability, vehicle ownership, and union status. For actors, this means that Central Casting is not simply one option among many — it is the foundational registration that every background actor in Los Angeles must have. The company handles everything from single-day bookings for a handful of extras to massive crowd scenes requiring hundreds of background performers.

To register with Central Casting, actors must complete an online orientation session and registration process through the company's website at centralcasting.com. The registration requires a valid government-issued photo ID, proof of work eligibility in the United States such as a Social Security card or passport, and current photographs that accurately represent your appearance. Central Casting is strict about photo accuracy — if you show up to set looking significantly different from your registration photos, you may be sent home. Once registered, your profile is entered into the company's database with detailed physical statistics including height, weight, hair color, eye color, and clothing sizes, along with any special skills such as driving ability, swimming, dance styles, or athletic capabilities. Registration is completely free, and any service or person that charges you to register with Central Casting is running a scam — the company has explicitly warned actors about this on multiple occasions.

Once registered, actors check for available work through the Central Casting website and mobile app, where job listings are posted daily, typically the afternoon and evening before the work date. The listings describe the production's needs in detail, including the required look, wardrobe specifications such as upscale business attire or casual summer wear, call time, expected location, and rate of pay. Actors submit themselves electronically for roles they match, and Central Casting's coordinators review submissions and confirm bookings — often just hours before the call time, so background actors need to maintain flexible schedules and the ability to respond quickly. The company also occasionally calls actors directly for specific roles, particularly those with unique looks or specialized skills. On the day of work, actors report to the set at the specified call time, check in with the assistant directors and background coordinators, and work for the duration of the shooting day, which typically runs 8 to 12 hours and can sometimes extend longer.

Central Casting's registered talent pool spans the full spectrum of the background acting community, from complete newcomers using background work as their entry point into the industry to veteran background actors who have made it a full-time career spanning decades. The company registers both SAG-AFTRA union members, who earn significantly higher day rates and receive health and pension benefits from qualifying work, and non-union performers, who earn standard minimum rates but can accumulate the SAG-AFTRA vouchers needed to become union-eligible. Many aspiring principal actors use Central Casting background work strategically — it provides on-set experience, a modest income stream, and occasionally the chance to observe respected actors and directors at work, though it is important to understand that background work itself very rarely leads to speaking roles. The company is also heavily used by people with unique physical characteristics, vintage vehicles, or specialized skills, as productions frequently issue specific calls for these attributes.

Central Casting is entirely free for actors — there are no registration fees, subscription costs, annual dues, or any other charges levied on performers at any point in the process. The company generates its revenue from the production side, charging producers a service fee for sourcing and managing background talent. Background actor pay rates vary based on union status and the specific type of work: as of 2025, SAG-AFTRA background actors earn a minimum of approximately $208 for an 8-hour day, while non-union background performers in Los Angeles typically earn between $120 and $182 for a standard day depending on the production. Additional pay bumps apply for special situations such as providing your own wardrobe or vehicle, performing wet work, smoke work, or other special business, and overtime rates kick in after 8 hours. SAG-AFTRA members also accumulate pension and health credits from qualifying background work. It is critical to reiterate that you should never pay anyone claiming to facilitate your Central Casting registration — this is a common scam targeting newcomers to the industry.

If you are living in Los Angeles and want to work as a background actor — whether as a primary income source, a supplemental gig while pursuing principal work, or simply to gain on-set experience — registering with Central Casting is non-negotiable. It is the single most essential registration in the LA background acting market, and every other background casting company is secondary to it. For actors in Central Casting's other markets including New York, Georgia, and Louisiana, it is equally important as the primary background casting resource. If you are not in one of Central Casting's operating markets, look into your local market's equivalent such as Grant Wilfley Casting in New York, Casting TaylOrMade in Atlanta, or regional companies in other production hubs. If you are an aspiring principal actor deciding whether to do background work, it can be valuable in moderation for the experience and income, but be strategic about it and continue investing the majority of your energy in training, auditions, and building your reel.

When registering with Central Casting, have detailed measurements ready and bring multiple wardrobe options if attending an in-person orientation, as the more accurately your profile reflects your current look and wardrobe availability, the more bookings you will match. Submit for roles early and often — listings that go up in the afternoon may be fully booked by evening, so check the website and app multiple times per day during peak season. Build a versatile working wardrobe that includes business formal, business casual, upscale evening wear, medical scrubs, and casual options, as having the right wardrobe for a specific call often determines whether you get booked. Always arrive early to set, bring your own snacks and entertainment for the inevitable waiting periods, and be unfailingly polite to the assistant directors and background coordinators, as they remember both good and bad behavior. If you are non-union and strategically trying to earn SAG-AFTRA vouchers, let the casting coordinators know you are voucher-eligible, as some productions specifically allocate a certain number of union vouchers to non-union performers and those spots go to actors who proactively communicate their interest.